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EditorialRole of biochemical markers of bone turnover as prognostic indicator of successful osteoporosis therapy
AbstractMost of the currently available anti-osteoporosis medications promptly and significantly influence the rate of bone turnover. Biochemical markers of bone turnover now provide a high sensitivity to change, allowing the detection of these bone turnover changes within a couple of weeks. Since the anti-fracture efficacy of inhibitors of bone resorption or stimulators of bone formation appears to be largely independent of baseline bone turnover, biochemical markers do not appear to play a significant role in the selection of one particular drug, for an individual patient. However, there are consistent data showing that short-term changes in biochemical markers of bone turnover may be significant predictors of future changes in bone mineral density or fracture reduction, hence suggesting that bone turnover markers play a significant role in the monitoring of anti-osteoporosis therapy. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Keywords: Osteoporosis; Monitoring; Treatment; Bone density; Markers of bone turnover
IntroductionClinical trials, conducted since the early nineties, have unequivocally shown the ability of several anti-osteoporosis medications to reduce fracture occurrence at various skeletal sites, including but not exhaustively the spine and hip [1]. Whereas the operational definition of osteoporosis is still based on a low bone mineral density (BMD), because low BMD is known to contribute to increased fracture risk, changes in bone mass and density, in response to anti-resorptive therapy, account for only a small portion of the predicted fracture risk reduction [2], a picture which may, however, be significantly changed with the availability of new therapies stimulating bone formation [3] or uncoupling bone formation from bone resorption [4].During the last decade, biochemical markers of bone turnover (BTM) have been developed, that are more sensitive than conventional ones for detecting abnormalities or changes of bone turnover rate [5]. Increased levels of bone resorption, and short-term changes in BTM, have been shown to predict the risk of fracture, independently of the level of BMD in untreated individuals [6,7].Dynamic changes in bone turnover, estimated by measurement of bone biochemical markers, such as breakdown products of type I collagen and proteins secreted by osteoblasts and osteoclasts in blood and urine, can also account for a major portion of antifracture efficacy of anti-resorptive or bone-forming agents [8]. Most of the currently marketed anti-osteoporos...